Don’t use Internet Explorer says Microsoft security boss

Chris Jackson said Internet Explorer should be seen as a ‘compatibility solution’ and not a default browser.

Microsoft’s own security chief has suggested Internet Explorer should not be used as a main web browser, saying it now only exists as a “compatibility solution”.

Chris Jackson, worldwide lead for cyber-security at the computing giant, admitted developers are no longer testing on the legacy web browser.

“We’re not supporting new web standards for it. And, while many sites work fine, developers by and large just aren’t testing for Internet Explorer these days,” Mr Jackson said.

In a blog post aimed at enterprise customers, the security expert explained why companies need to be aware of their “technical debt.” This where they’re paying for extended support of older software.

Some firms still rely on Internet Explorer because their websites were built during the browser’s heyday and use the infrastructure behind it.

(Dominic Lipinski/PA)

In response to comments from users, Mr Jackson added: “My concern is that to accommodate apps that do need IE, we use it for everything.

“We want you to use IE for the sites that need it. What I’m trying to say here is that I hope you don’t use it for everything else.

“The candle is burning from the other side with that approach. Now your new sites break while keeping your old sites fixed. I’d like to craft a solution where both your old sites and your new sites work.”

1 COMMENT

Erm, wouldn’t this be an ideal place at least to mention that Edge is also now in the bin, since MS noticed that nobody’s using it? You could mention that there’s a paucity of extensions for Edge, as it has barely 5 percent of the browser market, meaning developers aren’t interested. You don’t even have to say it’s not much good — MS has kinda said that for you, given the tedious extent to which it’s been pushing the thing, without traction. In case you weren’t aware of this, MS has decided to use Chromium instead, although it looks as though it might just start calling its flavour of Chromium ‘Edge’